Feigning Civility

At nine that night, Lin Yun dragged his exhausted body through the front door.

After returning to the company that afternoon, his supervisor had reminded him that his recent absences had become more frequent. Then, when he returned to his office and turned on his work phone, he found more than one missed call from subordinates and clients.

Good thing he had switched off his phone and left it in the office. Otherwise, he would probably have been harassed by calls even while facing an Aberrant Beast.

After being busy for half the day, he had once again gotten off work after nightfall and hurried home by tram.

As soon as he entered the living room, he saw Xia Liang sitting on the sofa and playing on her phone.

Since she had not brought a change of clothes, she seemed to be wearing Lin Xiaolu's clothes. The pajamas that had looked somewhat loose on Lin Xiaolu now fit Xia Liang snugly.

The sound from the entryway also drew Xia Liang's attention toward Lin Yun. When she saw that a strange middle-aged man had entered, she froze for a moment before quickly grasping the situation. She stood up and smiled with an exceptionally well-behaved, proper posture.

"Hello, Uncle!"

Xia Liang's appearance alone easily gave people impressions like "quiet" and "well-behaved." Now that she had deliberately played up those qualities, she was indeed immensely likable. She perfectly matched the stereotypical image of "someone else's good child" in the minds of countless parents.

She's putting on quite a convincing act.

Lin Yun loosened his tie and made his assessment inwardly.

Still, he had no right to criticize Xia Liang over this. Right now, he was Lin Xiaolu's father, not Larkspur, so he needed to react as though he did not know Xia Liang at all.

"Oh, are you Lulu's classmate?"

He was not accustomed to smiling, but he could at least lift the corners of his mouth and make his expression seem kinder. "Did you come to play with Lulu?"

"Yes, we were just doing homework together!"

Xia Liang spoke what was probably a lie without changing expression, then beamed. "We finally finished it!"

"It's so late. Aren't you going home?" Lin Yun kept his expression calm as well and had no intention of exposing her.

"Lulu asked me to stay and keep her company, so I took the liberty!" Xia Liang answered with impeccable politeness.

"I see. Have you told your family?" Lin Yun asked gently.

"I told them what was going on, but nothing's been decided yet. I was waiting for you to give the okay, Uncle."

"Hehe, why would I disagree? You young people should spend more time together..."

And so, the two of them began chatting amicably in the living room.

Using his identity as her host's parent, Lin Yun asked quite a few questions about her family and studies, trying to learn more about her background. But Xia Liang's answers were equally watertight. Even as she put on a perfect performance, she did not reveal a single piece of information about herself.

Before long, a head with a single ponytail poked out from a nearby room.

Lin Xiaolu clung to the doorway, secretly observing the situation out of curiosity over what the two people in the living room were talking about.

But her attempt at hiding was rather amateurish, and sharp-eyed Lin Yun spotted her almost immediately. He did not indulge Lin Xiaolu and called out directly.

"Lulu, have you been treating your classmate well tonight?"

"Mm..."

Caught red-handed, Lin Xiaolu had no choice but to step out from behind the door. She looked at Lin Yun, then at Xia Liang, who was snickering beside him, and answered reluctantly, "We ordered takeout."

"You asked your classmate to stay the night. Have you prepared somewhere for her to sleep?"

"Uh..."

Lin Xiaolu got stuck again. She stammered for a long while without managing to say anything, before finally muttering gloomily.

"Not yet."

What Lin Yun did not know was that Xia Liang had still been lingering in Lin Xiaolu's room until half an hour ago.

But because Xia Liang had been idling beside her while she did homework, occasionally bothering her, Lin Xiaolu had eventually driven her out of the room.

Forget preparing a place for Xia Liang to sleep—Lin Xiaolu had wanted nothing more than to throw her straight out of the house. But she could not bring herself to be that heartless, so in the end, she had simply banished Xia Liang to the living room while staying in her room alone.

"Wait a moment. There should be spare bedding in the master bedroom. I'll go look."

Fortunately, Lin Yun had never expected his daughter to be particularly thoughtful. The fact that she had even lent Xia Liang clothes had already surprised him. Following the most basic rules of hospitality, he felt it necessary to prepare a place for Xia Liang to stay.

He returned to the master bedroom and pulled several sets of unused bedding from the top of the wardrobe. Picking one with a relatively suitable size and pattern, he unfolded it and gave it a shake. After confirming that it was clean and usable, he folded it back up and carried it to Lin Xiaolu's bedroom door.

"Leave these with you for now. I'll go find a mattress."

He handed the quilt in his arms to Lin Xiaolu and gave her those instructions.

"...Thank you, but this is enough."

Lin Xiaolu held the bedding and lowered her head slightly. "This is my responsibility. I'll take care of it."

"Do you know how to make up a floor bed?"

Already used to this, Lin Yun did not feel particularly slighted. He merely raised an eyebrow and asked, "Or are you planning to share the bed with your classmate?"

"I know how. It's fine. Go do your own thing." Lin Xiaolu's attitude was firm.

Clearly, she did not want Lin Yun to keep taking charge of hosting Xia Liang.

Having spent so many days with his daughter as Larkspur, Lin Yun had become somewhat better at guessing her thoughts.

Perhaps, no matter how much she disliked Xia Liang, Xia Liang was ultimately connected to her identity as a Magical Girl. Lin Xiaolu had her own ideals and aspirations about being a Magical Girl, so she did not want that part of her life to intersect with her hated old man.

What a troublesome child. I wonder who she takes after.

If I were Larkspur right now, she would probably be happy to accept my help, wouldn't she?

He sighed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do. Lin Yun could only step back and raise both hands to show that he did not intend to interfere further. "All right. We'll do it your way."

The strange, stiff atmosphere at the bedroom door also caught Xia Liang's attention.

She had already been secretly watching the situation from a distance. After witnessing the exchange between Lin Yun and Lin Xiaolu, she finally realized that the relationship between this father and daughter seemed a little too cold.

I should help ease things between them.

So, she put away her phone and moved closer while pretending to be oblivious, as though she were still out of the loop.

"Ah, Lulu and Uncle are preparing bedding for me? I'm so sorry. Thank you both!"

That somewhat forced expression of thanks broke the frozen atmosphere, easing the conversation between the father and daughter that had been at an impasse.

Lin Xiaolu did not like Xia Liang, nor did she like her own father. But with both of them before her, she could not act overly rejecting toward either one, so she could only respond dully, "Mm."

"Great! I was just getting a little tired."

With a slightly exaggerated clap, Xia Liang smiled and placed her hands against Lin Xiaolu's back, pushing her toward the room. "Then I'll help you. Let's make the bed together."

Lin Yun stood where he was and watched the two of them walk into the room step by step. Along the way, Lin Xiaolu turned back to look at him. He merely waved one hand and silently mouthed, "Good night."

Well, so be it. Hopefully, the young people would spend more time together.